Ontario backs 68 exploration projects as province bets on future mines and northern jobs

SUDBURY — Ontario says it is funding 68 early-stage mineral exploration projects through the Ontario Junior Exploration Program, a move the province says will help build “made-in-Ontario” supply chains, support 71 jobs in northern and rural communities and generate an estimated $18 million in economic output.

For Northwestern Ontario, the announcement is significant because several recipients are active in the northwest and because Thunder Bay continues to position itself as a mining service and supply hub for the region.

Province ties junior exploration money to self-reliance and critical minerals strategy

According to the province, the Ontario Junior Exploration Program covers up to 50 per cent of eligible exploration and development costs. Prospectors can receive up to $65,000 per project, including enhanced Indigenous participation support, while junior mining companies can receive up to $215,000. In the release, Stephen Lecce, minister of energy and mines, said Ontario is investing early to “build a pipeline for new mines and new jobs” as the province tries to strengthen domestic supply chains and reduce reliance on outside sources for critical minerals.

The March 19 announcement builds on Ontario’s broader critical minerals push. Earlier this month, the province launched consultations on a new Critical Minerals Strategy and pointed to related measures including the $500-million Critical Minerals Processing Fund and the “One Project, One Process” framework, which Ontario says is aimed at cutting government review timelines by 50 per cent.

The province has also said OJEP has already supported more than 213 projects in previous rounds and helped leverage more than $2 in private investment for every public dollar.

Northwestern Ontario names appear on recipient list

The recipient list includes a number of companies with projects or exploration interests in Northwestern Ontario. Among them are Bold Ventures Inc. at $212,500, BTU Metals Corp. at $200,000, Dryden Gold Corp. at $200,000, Landore Resources Canada Inc. at $215,000, Thunder Gold Corp. at $212,000, PTX Metals Inc. at $215,000 and Volta Metals Ltd. at $215,000. The province’s backgrounder does not break the awards down by region, but the list shows the northwest remains firmly in the mix as Ontario spreads support across early-stage projects.

The release also included a clear Northwestern Ontario message. Rick Dumas, president of NOMA, said the funding is important “particularly for communities across the Northwest,” arguing that exploration spending can support jobs, local businesses and long-term economic opportunities in remote regions.

Alexander Shaw CEO of  Landore Resources said continued OJEP funding signals Ontario’s commitment to mineral exploration, while Bold Ventures president Bruce MacLachlan said the support will allow more extensive testing at the company’s Burchell project.

Why this matters for Thunder Bay and the Northwest

For Thunder Bay, the local significance is not only about whether one of these projects eventually becomes a mine. It is also about the service-and-supply economy that grows around exploration activity — drill contractors, geologists, environmental firms, camp services, transportation companies, equipment suppliers and training institutions. The Thunder Bay CEDC has been actively promoting the city as a premier mining service and supply hub for Northwestern Ontario, and more exploration work in the northwest would tend to support that pitch. That is an inference based on the recipient list and the city’s stated economic development strategy.

There is also an important reality check. The province says early-stage exploration is a high-risk business, with only about one in 1,000 exploration projects eventually becoming a mine. Ontario argues that is why public support matters at this stage, especially in remote and rugged areas where high costs and long timelines can make it hard for junior firms and prospectors to attract private capital.

Ontario remains the country’s top exploration jurisdiction

Ontario’s announcement comes with some solid numbers behind it. The province says Ontario recorded about $1.1 billion in mineral exploration and deposit appraisal spending in 2024, the highest in Canada. Natural Resources Canada’s preliminary 2025 estimates also show Ontario leading the country at $1.08 billion, ahead of Quebec at $955.4 million. That helps explain why Queen’s Park is putting political weight behind junior exploration as part of a larger industrial strategy tied to batteries, defence technologies and advanced manufacturing.

The provincial move also lands in a broader national push. On March 3, the federal government announced up to $165.2 million for 22 critical minerals projects across eight provinces, alongside the new First and Last Mile Fund, backed by $1.5 billion in federal funding, and an upcoming $2-billion Critical Minerals Sovereign Fund. The message from both Queen’s Park and Ottawa is similar: Canada wants to move faster on exploration, infrastructure, processing and supply-chain security.

What to watch next

The immediate takeaway is that this is seed-stage money, not mine approval. In practical terms, OJEP helps prospectors and junior firms pay for drilling, geological work and other exploration steps that may prove up a deposit or, just as often, show that a project does not advance. The bigger question for Northwestern Ontario is how many of today’s exploration plays can move from map work and drilling into viable projects with financing, Indigenous partnerships, permitting, infrastructure and processing routes in place.

In the release, Lecce said Ontario would “double down on early exploration,” while George Pirie, minister of northern economic development and growth, called early work “key to unlocking” the North’s mineral potential. Industry voices in the same release echoed that theme: Ontario Prospectors Association president Steve Virtue said OJEP helps keep the province’s mining pipeline strong, and Ontario Mining Association president Priya Tandon said exploration is where “the mines of tomorrow begin.”

For Thunder Bay and Northwestern Ontario, that is the real story — this funding will matter most if it turns exploration momentum into long-term projects, contracts and jobs across the North.